REPORT 


—OF  THE— 

COMMITTEE  ON  WATER  SUPPLY, 
New  Orleans  Fire  Underwriters  Association. 


JV.  0.,  January  16th,  1890. 


T.  H.  Thomason,  Printer,  New  Orleans. 


UErArjy 

OF  THE 

yxivEftsrry  of  urns 


£2  M 

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REPORT 


* 


OF  THE 


COMMITTEE  ON  WATER  SUPPLY, 


**  New  Orleans  Fire  Underwriters  Association. 


New  Orleans,  January  16th,  1890. 


L.  M.  Finley,  Esq.,  President. 

Dear  Sir: 

Under  date  of  December  11th,  Mr.  R.  E.  Craig,  President  of 
the  N.  0.  Water  Works  Co.,  addressed  a letter  to  the  Association 
requesting  that  a Committee  be  appointed  by  you  to  make  a test 
" of  the  mains,  fire  hydrants,  wells  and  general  system  of  the 
Waterworks  Co.,  and  placing  at  the  disposal  of  such  Committee 
the  keys  and  spanners  necessary  to  open  the  various  styles  of 
hydrants  and  wells.  The  services  of  any  of  the  employees  of  the 
Company  were  also  tendered  if  needed  to  render  assistance  in 
making  the  investigation. 

This  letter  was  referred  to  your  Committee  on  Water  Supply 
with  instructions  to  give  it  immediate  attention,  and  report  back 
to  you,  and  we  no\V  beg  to  give  you  the  result  of  our  labors. 

^ There  are  nearly  seventy-seven  (77)  miles  of  water  mains  in 
the  City,  the  size  of  the  mains  varying  from  three  to  thirty-six 
inches  (3n-36").  These  mains  supply  water  to  eleven  hundred 
and  fifty-two  (1152),  fire  hydrants,  including  ninety-one  (91)  fire 
wells.  Previous  to  January  1st,  1890,  pressure  was  applied  by 
pumping  direct  from  the  engines  of  the  Company  during  the  day 
between  the  hours  of  seven  in  the  morning  and  six  in  the  even- 
ing; and  at  night  and  on  Sundays  by  gravity  from  the  reservoir 
which  contains  about  4,000,000  of  gallons  when  full. 

The  stand  pipe  is  a mere  auxiliary,  and  serves  only  to  relieve 
the  engines  from  the  shock  of  hydraulic  jams  in  the  mains. 

The  contract  between  the  City  of  New  Orleans  and  the  Water 
Works  Company  is  embodied  in  Ordinance  No  909,  adopted  by 


2 


The  contract  requires  the  Water  Company  to  maintain  a 
pressure  of  water  of  not  less  than  fifty  feet  (50')  head  between  the 
hours  of  7 in  the  morning  and  6 in  the  evening,  and  says  further 
that  the  reservoir  supply  at  night  and  between  the  hours  shall  be 
of  Usuch  abundance  as  amply  to  cover  the  needs  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment for  extinguishing  fires.”  The  engine  record  book  of 
the  Company  shows  that  on  ever}7  day  except  Sundays,  this 
pressure  has  been  maintained,  but  it  is  not  denied  that  it  has 
been  the  custom  of  the  Company  to  bank  fires  on  Saturday  nighty 
shut  off  the  direct  pressure  in  the  mains,  and  maintain  on 
Sundays  simply  the  gravity  pressure  from  the  reservoirs,  or  in 
other  words,  only  the  pressure  usual  at  night. 

The  water  supply  is  taken  from  the  Mississippi  River,  and,  of 
course,  contains  a considerable  amount  of  sediment  or  silt. 
There  is  no  settling  basin  connected  with  the  works,  and  the 
W’ater  goes  into  the  mains  just  as  received  from  the  river, 

In  order  to  give  a clear  idea  of  the  manner  in  which  the  water 
is  distributed  by  the  mains,  we  have  made  up  a list  of  the 
principal  mains,  showing  their  location,  size  and  extent. 

List  of  Principal  Mains. 


Street 

From 

To 

Diam. 

of 

Whether 

Tapped 

Tchoupitoulas 

Pumping  House 

Race 

Main 
36  in. 

by  Plugs 
No 

Race 

Tchoupitoulas 

Camp 

36  in. 

No 

New  Levee 

Pumping  House 

Calliope 

16  in. 

Yes 

Tchoupitoulas 

Reservoir 

Calliope 

18  in. 

Yes 

Tchoupitoulas 

Calliope 

Delord 

10  in. 

Yes 

Tchoupitoulas 

Delord 

Girod 

8 in. 

Yes 

Tchoupitoulas 

Girod 

Canal 

6 in. 

Yes 

Magazine 

Felicity 

Calliope 

18  in. 

Yes 

Calliope 

Calliope 

Canal 

16  in. 

Yes 

Calliope 

Felicity 

Aline 

8 in. 

Yes 

Camp 

Race 

Canal 

30  in. 

No 

Chartres 

Canal 

Esplanade 

30  in. 

No 

Tchoupitoulas 

Richard 

St.  Mary 

6 in. 

Yes 

Richard 

Reservoir 

Felicity 

18  in. 

Yes 

Felicity 

Magazine 

Rampart 

18  in. 

No 

Felicity 

Rampart 

Magnolia 

8 in. 

Yes 

St.  Charles 

Delord 

Canal 

6 in. 

Yes 

St.  Charles 

Felicity 

Napoleon  Av. 

8 in. 

Yes 

St.  Charles 

Napoleon  Av. 

Peters  Av. 

6 in. 

Yes 

Carondelet 

Felicity 

Canal 

8 in. 

Yes 

Baronne 

Delord 

Canal 

10  in. 

Yes 

Baronne 

Calliope 

Felicity 

8 in. 

Yes 

3 


Street 

From 

To 

Diam. 

of 

Whether. 

Tapp.ed 

Baron  ne 

Felicity 

Second 

Main 

6 in. 

by  Plugs 
Yes  •' 

Dauphine 

Dauphine 

Esplanade 

St.  Ferdinand 

8 in. 

Yes 

Canal 

Esplanade 

6 in. 

Yes 

Dauphfhe 

St.  Ferdinand 

Piety 

6 in. 

Yes 

Canal 

Delta 

Peters 

30  in. 

Yes 

Canal 

Peters 

Claiborne 

16  in. 

Yes  • 

Esplanade 

River 

Rampart 

10  in. 

Yes 

Esplanade 

Rampart 

Miro 

8 in. 

Yes 

Esplanade 

Miro 

Dorgenois 

4 in. 

Yes 

Rampart 

Canal 

Esplanade 

10  in. 

Yes 

Bourbon 

Canal 

Esplanade 

16  in. 

Yes 

Examination  of  this  list  will  show  that  some  of  the  largest 
mains  are  not  tapped  by  plugs,  which  are  fed  instead  from  the 
smaller  mains  laid  years  before  on  the  same  streets.  It  also  ap- 
pears that,  in  some  instances,  these  large  mains  are  the  only 
lines  of  pipe  on  certain  streets,  notwithstanding  which,  they  are 
not  tapped  by  plugs.  This  is  the  case  with  the  thirty-six  inch 
(36")  main  on  Race  Street  from  Tchoupitoulas  to  Camp  Streets, 
which  is  used  simply  to  feed  the  thirty  inch  (30")  main  leading 
down  Camp  Street  and  Chartres  Street  from  Race  to  Esplanade. 
The  plugs  on  Camp  and  Chartres  Streets,  between  the  points 
above  named,  draw  their  supply  from  eight  inch  (8")  mains. 
These  large  thirty-six  inch  (36")  and  thirty  inch  (30")  mains  are 
the  main  arteries,  and  are  used  only  to  reinforce  and  supply  the 
smaller  mains  which  radiate  from  or  cross  them.  The  eighteen 
inch  (18")  main  on  Felicity  Street  from  Magazine  to  Rampart 
Streets,  is  not  tapped  sby  a single  plug,  and  it  is  the  only  main  on 
that  street.  There  are  no  mains  on  St.  Charles  Street  from  De- 
lord to  Felicity  Streets.  Should  a fire  occur  anywhere  between 
those  streets,  the  engines  would  be  compelled  to  depend  for 
water  upon  the  small  four  inch  (4")  mains  on  the  side  streets. 
We  shall  presently  have  occasion  to  show  what  these  four  inch 
(4")  mains  are  worth.  An  eight  inch  (8")  main  at  the  time  of  the 
fire  which  destroyed  Purves’  Sash  Factory,  a church  in  rear  of 
same,  and  several  dwellings  adjoining,  would  probably  have  en- 
abled the  fire  department  to  save  a good  part  of  the  property. 

There  is  a thirty  inch  (30")  main  on  Calliope  Street,  down 
Front  Street  to  St.  Mary’s  Market,  thence  down  Delta  Street  to 
Canal  Street,  which  is  fed  b}'.  an  eighteen  inch  (18")  main. 


4 


PLUGS. 

A very  noticeable  feature  of  the  water  works  system  here  is  the 
variation  in  the  styles  of  plugs,  which  we  will  briefly  describe. 

Ground  Plug ; opening  2-J  in. ; valve  stern,  Semi-circular. 
Wooden  Case  “ *•  2-J  “ kC  “ l* 

Philadelphia  u “ 2^  “ “ “ “ u ' 

Holly  n ' tt  “ Square. 

Mathews  “ “ 2-J.  “ **  “ Quinquangular. 

Of  the  above,  the  first  four  are  opened  by  turning  to  the  right, 
but  the  Mathews  is  opened  by  turning  the  ke}r  to  the  left.  In 
order  to  make  proper  connection  with  the  various  Plugs,  the 
fire  engines  are  provided  with  reducers  for  their  suction  hose, 
and  the  use  of  these  necessarily  occupies  precious  time.  It  13 
claimed  by  the  Water  Works  Company  that  many  of  their  Plugs 
are  broken  by  ignorant  firemen  unskilled  in  the  proper  manner 
of  opening  them.  While  we  have  no  direct  knowledge  of  this,  it 
seems  likely  to  be  true  in  some  cases,  and  is  not  very  surprising. 
In  the  hurry  and  excitement  occasioned  by  a fire,  it  will  be  readily 
understood  that  a mistake  of  this  sort  could  easily  be  made. 
We  must  say,  however,  in  justice  to  the  firemen,  that  while  we 
have  purposely  employed  their  services  a number  of  times  in 
opening  Plugs  and  Wells,  we  have  found  but  one  of  them  who 
made  the  mistake  of  turning  the  stem  the  wrong  way.  A mis- 
take of  this  kind  might  cause  the  screw  of  the  stem  to  be  jammed, 
and  delays  at  such  moments  are  sometimes  fatal.  The  Wells, 
of  which  there  are  ninety-one  (91)  in  the  City,  are  all  opened 
by  turning  to  the  right.  Well  keys  are  used  to  open  these,  and 
are  different  from  any  of  the  keys  used  to  open  Plugs. 

We  consider  the  use  of  ground  Plugs  a serious  defect  in  the 
system.  They  are  flush  with  the  sidewalk,  and  not  unfrequently 
covered  with  earth  or  rubbish,  and  hard  to  find,  especially  on 
dark  nights  when  the  engines  are  driven  up  rapidly  to  make  con- 
nection with  the  first  available  Plug.  We  have  suggested  to 
Chief  O’Connor  that  it  would  be  a good  plan  for  the  men  on  duty 
in  each  engine  house  to  familiarize  themselves  with  the  location 
and  condition  of  the  various  Plugs  in  the  vicinity  of  their  engine 
house,  so  that  any  Plugs  which  are  out  of  order  may  be  promptly 
reported  to  the  Water  Company,  and  no  time  be  lost  at  fires  in 
searching  for  Plugs  which  are  not  easily  to  be  seen.  The  Water 
Company  employs  four  spannermen,  whose  duty  it  is  to  regularly 
inspect  the  eleven  hundred  and  fifty-two  (1152)  Plugs  and  Fire 


5 


.Wells  in  the  City.  It  is  claimed  by  the  Company  that  these 
inspections  are  made  at  least  once  a month,  and  each  Plug 
opened  and  flushed.  From  the  condition  of  some  of  the  Plugs 
and  Wells  we  have  seen,  we  are  convinced  that  these  men  do  not 
properly  perform  their  duty.  Plugs  found  out  of  order  had  not 
been  reported  by  them,  and  some  of  the  Plugs  appeared  not  to 
have  been  opened  in  months. 

On  the  night  of  December  17th,  we  opened  and  inspected  nine- 
teen (19)  Plugs  and  nine  (9)  Fire  Wells  in  various  parts  of  the 
City,  beginning  our  trial  about  8 o’clock  in  the  evening  and  fin- 
ishing about  1.  We  were  accompanied  by  one  of  the  spanner- 
men  of  the  Water  Company  and  Chief  O’Connor  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment. A list  of  the  Plugs  and  Wells  examined  is  hereto 
appended. 

PLUGS  AND  WELLS , 

Inspected  by  the  Committee  December  17th,  1889. 


Plug  Euphrosine  bet.  Franklin  & Liberty  Ground  6 

Freret  bet.  Clio  & Calliope  Wooden  Case  4 

Cor.  Howard  & Clio  Holly  4 

Thalia,  opposite  Engine  No.  20  Philadelphia  4 

Cor.  Rampart  & Thalia  Wooden  Case  6 

Thalia  near  Rampart  > Philadelphia  4 

Cor.  Rampart  & Erato  Ground  6 

Cor.  Franklin  & Felicity  Holly  8 

Keller  Market  Holly 

Cor.  First  & Drvades  Holly  6 

St.  Charles  bet.  Third  & Fourth  Mathews  8 

Cor.  Magazine  & Ninth  Double  Holly  8 

Magazine  bet.  Eighth  & Ninth  Wooden  Case  8 

Magazine  bet.  Pleasant  & Harmony  Double  Holly  8 

Cor.  St.  Mary  & Tchoupitoulas  Mathews  6 

Cor.  Peters  & Richard  Wooden  Case  4 

In  front  of  Engine  No.  12  Wooden  Case  4 

Just  above  No.  12  House,  at  corner  Holly  12 


Cor.  Orange  and  Religious  Wooden  Case  18 

Fire  AAell  Cor.  Dryades  & Euterpe 

Cor.  Washington  & Magazine 
Cor.  Jackson  & Magazine 
Cor.  St.  Mary  & Magazine 
Cor.  Julia  & Front 
Cor.  Common  & Front 
Cor.  Canal  & Camp 
Cor.  Common  & Liberty 
Cor.  Rampart  & Canal 


6 


Of  these  only  one  Plug  was  found  out  of  order,  this  being  lo- 
cated on  Magazine  Street,  corner  of  Ninth.  The  valve  stem  was 
so  badly  jammed  that  it  could  not  be  opened.  The  proprietor 
of  the  saloon  in  front  of  whose  house  this  Plug  stands,  stated 
that  it  had  been  inspected  some  time  before  (fully  a month,  he 
said)  by  the  spannerman  in  charge  and  had  then  been  found  out 
of  repair,  but  nothing  had  been  done.  The  valve  stem  of  the 
Fire  Well  at  the  corner  of  Magazine  and  Washington  Streets  was 
found  to  be  badly  rusted.  It  was  first  opened  bv  the  spanner- 
man  of  the  Water  Company  and  then  closed.  We  then  asked 
some  of  the  firemen  from  Engine  No.  23  to  open  it.  When  they 
attempted  it,  the  rust  in  the  socket  of  the  key,  which  had  at  first 
held  it  firm,  gave  way  and  the  “T”  socket  revolved  about  the 
stem  without  opening  the  valve.  By  breaking  a flat  file  in  two 
and  using  it  as  a bushing  for  the  socket,  the  Well  was  finally 
opened,  but  not  until  fifteen  minutes  had  been  lost.  A test  was 
made  at  this  Well  to  see  what  amount  of  water  it  would  supply 
to  an  engine.  It  gave  more  than  sufficient  for  No.  23,  and  would 
probably  supply  two  engines  with  all  the  water  they  would  re- 
quire in  that  neighborhood.  The  firemen  of  this  Company  did 
not  open  the  Well  fully  on,  but  almost  so.  Before  the  test  was 
made,  it  was  fully  opened  by  the  spannerman  of  the  Water 
Company. 

The  Water  Works  themselves  were  visted  at  about  11  o’clock 
the  same  night,  and  found  to  be  pumping  into  the  reservoirs 
only,  a pressure  of  twenty-eight  feet  (28')  head  being  indicated 
by  the  guage. 

Another  investigation  was  made  on  the  afternoon  of  Sunday , 
December  22d.  The  Water  Works  were  also  visited  on  this  occa- 
sion, and  at  5 o’clock  found  not  to  be  working.  The  water  in 
the  reservoir  was  within  four  feet  (4')  of  the  top,  and  the  guage 
indicated  about  twenty-eight  feet  (28')  head.  The  engineer  and 
fireman  on  watch  stated  that  it  was  customary  to  bank  fires  on 
Saturday  night  after  the  reservoirs  were  full,  and  the  direct  pres- 
sure was  not  again  applied  to  the  mains  until  Monday  mornings. 
In  the  meantime  if  the  guage  indicated  that  an  unusual  supply 
of  water  was  being  drawn  off  from  the  reservoirs,  the  engines 
were  used  to  pump  into  them.  This  was  generally  found  neces- 
sary for  about  two  hours  every  Sunday  afternoon.  There  is  a 
fire  alarm  gong  outside  the  engine  room,  and  notice  is  therefore 


7 


given  of  every  fire  in  the  City.  We  interrogated  the  engineer  as 
to  whether  the  Water  Company  ever  applied  the  direct  pressure 
in  the  mains  at  night  on  the  occasion  of  a large  fire,  on  account 
of  which  the  fire  engines  might  draw  off  an  unusually  large 
amount  of  water.  He  stated  that  their  custom  on  such  occa- 
sions was  to  pump  into  the  reservoirs  only,  and  allow  the  grav- 
ity pressure  therefrom  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  Fire  Depart- 
ment. He  had  never  known  an  instance  of  the  kind  in  which 
direct  pressure  had  been  applied. 

The  same  night  we  opened  nine  (9)  Plugs  and  two  (2)  Fire  Wells. 
One  of  the  Plugs,  a “ wooden  case  ” on  St.  Ann  Street,  between 
Royal  and  Bourbon  Streets,  was  very  weak.  It  is  supplied  from 
a three  inch  (3")  main,  as  are  all  the  Plugs  on  that  Street.  The 
Fire  Well  on  Esplanade  Street,  near  Engine  No.  9,  was  opened  by 
the  men  of  that  Company.  The  “T”  socket  was  very  loose,  and 
the  valve  box  full  of  water.  It  needs  repairing  badly,  and  was 
reported  to  the  Water  Company.  The  Fire  Well  at  the  corner 
of  Lafayette  and  Magazine  Streets  was  visited.  The  valve  cover 
was  removed  by  Engineer  Giles  of  No.  2.  The  cover  of  the  valve 
box  rested  on  the  u T ” piece,  and  when  the  latter  was  touched 
by  a Committeeman,  it  dropped  off.  It  was  badly  rusted 
and  the  break  was  probably  caused  by  some  heavy  vehicle 
passing  over  the  cover  of  the  box  which  rested  upon  it.  In 
this  connection  it  is  proper  to  suggest  that  the  valve  boxes  of 
all  Fire  Wells  ought  to  be  located  on  the  sidewalk,  and  should 
be  provided  with  a proper  covering  to  protect  them.  As  long  as 
they  are  in  the  Street,  accidents  are  likely  to  happen  to  them  by 
reason  of  the  heavy  floats,  dra}rs  and  wagons  that  pass  over 
them  and  force  them  down  upon  the  stems  of  the  valves.  Every 
heavy  rain  causes  the  mud  to  fill  up  the  boxes,  which  not  only 
covers  the  “ T ” pieces  out  of  sight,  but  causes  the  stems  and 
sockets  to  rust  and  get  out  of  repair. 

A wooden  case  Plug  on  Julia  Street,  between  Carondelet  and 
Baronne  Streets,  was  opened  and  found  to  give  a very  poor  sup- 
ply. It  leads  from  a four  inch  (4")  main,  although  there  is  a 
twelve  inch  (12")  main  on  the  same  Street.  We  made  use  of 
Engine  No.  24  to  test  this  Plug.  This  Engine  was  on  duty  in 
place  of  No.  5,  laid  up  for  repairs.  The  water  gauge  indicated 
ten  pounds  (10  lbs.)  pressure,  which  is  equivalent  to  about 
twenty-three  feet  (23')  head.  After  the  engine  had  raised  about 


8 


seventy-five  pounds  (75  lbs.)  steam  pressure,  water  was  forced 
through  fifty  feet  (50')  of  hose  and  a £ inch  nozzle.  Although 
the  pumps  of  the  engine  made  180  revolutions  a minute,  water 
could  be  thrown  only  twenty-five  feet  (2-V).  With  a f inch  noz- 
zle, water  was  thrown  about  thirty  feet  (30')-  The  stream  was 
not  particularly  muddy,  but  intermittent  and  utterly  inadequate 
for  fire  extinguishing  purposes. 

This  was  promptly  reported  to  the  Water  Company,  the  offi- 
cers of  which  expressed  the  belief  that  the  firemen  had  not  made 
a fair  test  of  the  Plug,  and  that  our  Committee  might  easily  have 
been  deceived  by  them  if  they  had  opened  the  relief  valve  of  the 
engine.  This  would  not  have  altered  either  the  water  or  steam 
gauge,  but  would  have  allowed  the  water  to  pass  back  into  the 
Plug  in  part,  and  impede  its  flow  from  the  nozzle  of  the  hose. 
The  Water  Company,  therefore,  requested  that  another  test  be 
made,  and  addressed  to  us  the  following  communication  on  the 
subject : 

Office  of  the  New  Orleans  Water  Works  Company, 

Nos.  Jf9  and  51  Baronne  Street. 

New  Orleans,  La.,  December  20th,  1889. 
Mr.  W.  R.  Railey,  Chairman,  etc.,  City. 

Dear  Sir: 

In  order  to  make  more  satisfactory  test,  and  to  prove  that 
we  have  at  all  times,  within  the  limits  of  our  mains,  an  ample 
supply  of  water,  we  would  request  that  you  ask  the  Chief  En- 
gineer to  detail  any  engine  he  may  see  fit  to  make  said  test,  from 
any  of  our  plugs  on  any  night,  and  at  any  time  you  may  select, 
the  Chief  himself,  as  well  as  such  representatives  we  may  se- 
lect, to  be  present.  And,  further,  that  in  order  that  it  may  not 
be  said  that  an  extra  pressure  was  used  on  that  occasion,  you 
detail  some  trustworthy  person  to  the  works  to  see  that  the 
pumps  do  not  work  during  the  said  test.  We  ask  this  in  order 
to  place  the  blame  where  it  belongs. 

Yours,  very  truly, 

R.  E.  Craig,  President. 

We  readily  agreed  to  make  another  test,  and  December  26th 
was  set  for  it.  About  11  o’clock  that  night,  the  parties 
interested  met  on  Julia  Street,  at  the  Engine  House  of 
Company  No.  5.  There  were  present  Mr.  Craig,  Mr  Gardner, 
Mr.  Baldwin,  Mr.  Beckwith,  Mr.  Day,  Chief  O’Connor  and  your 
Committee.  The  Water  Works’  officials  also  brought  with  them 
Mr.  Crippen,  as  their  expert,  and  Supt.  Kalinski  of  the  Fire  Pa- 


9 


trol,  with  one  of  his  men  who  had  formerly  been  an  engineer  in 
the  Fire  Department.  The  Chief  was  requested  to  detail  two  en- 
gines to  go  to  the  head  of  the  Basin  on  Julia  Street,  and  Nos.  18 
and  Louisiana  Hose  were  taken  there.  The  latter  engine  having 
a heater  attached,  was  used  in  making  the  experiment.  The  suc- 
tion hose  was  dropped  into  the  basin  and  120  pounds  of  steam 
raised  by  the  engine.  An  inch  nozzle  was  attached  to  fifty  feet 
(50')  of  hose,  and  the  water  was  thrown  fully  250  feet.  The  gen- 
tlemen of  the  Water  Company  expressed  themselves  as  satisfied 
with  the  condition  of  the  engine,  and  she  was  then  turned  over 
to  Engineer  Crippen  and  taken  to  the  Plug  on  Julia  Street,  in 
front  of  No.  5’s  House.  The  water  guage  indicated  ten  pounds 
(10  lbs.)  pressure,  and  the  steam  was  run  up  to  135  pounds. 
With  this  extra  heavy  pressure  and  working  240  revolutions  a 
minute,  water  could  be  thrown  only  forty  feet  (40')  through  a £ 
inch  nozzle,  and  a very  poor  stream  at  that,  so  that  the  test  only 
served  to  confirm  our  former  trial  of  this  Plug.  The  engine  was 
then  taken  to  the  Plug  at  the  corner  of  Baronne  and  Julia  Streets, 
which  leads  from  a ten  inch  (10")  main  on  Baronne  Street. 
Considerable  difficulty  was  experienced  in  making  a perfect  con- 
nection with  the  suction,  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  wooden  case  of 
this  Plug  was  not  properly  made.  The  wood  rested  on  the  open- 
ing of  the  Plug  and  prevented  the  hose  from  being  screwed  on  all 
the  way.  Nearly  15  minutes  were  lost  in  cutting  away  the  wood 
and  battering  in  the  front.  When  the  coupling  was  properly 
made,  the  engine  again  threw  as  fine  a stream  as  that  taken  from 
the  Basin. 

The  engine  was  then  taken  to  a ground  Plug  on  Julia  Street, 
between  Camp  and  Magazine  Streets,  which  leads  from  the  four 
inch  (4")  main  on  Julia  Street.  A much  better  supply  was  ob- 
tained from  this  Plug  than  that  from  that  in  front  of  No.  5’s 
House,  but  wrater  was  only  thrown  about  100  feet  with  120 
pounds  steam  up.  This  test  showed  that  the  engine  received 
only  about  one-half  the  water  necessary  to  supply  her  to  her  full 
capacity,  as  she  was  capable  of  throwing  it  250  feet  when  a full 
supply  was  furnished. 

An  ample  supply  was  then  obtained  from  the  twelve  inch  (12") 
main  on  the  same  Street,  immediately  opposite  the  plug  just 
mentioned.  The  engine  was  next  tried  at  a Plug  on  Povdras 
Street,  between  St.  Charles  and  Carondelet  Streets,  leading  from 


10 


the  four  inch  (4"}  main  on  Poydras  Street.  The  water  was  at 
first  very  muddy,  but  was  forced  about  75  feet  with  120  pounds 
steam  up. 

We  did  not  try  two  engines  on  a four  inch  (4")  main  that 
night,  as  the  Water  Company’s  officials  seemed  to  think  that 
such  a test  would  be  unfair, 

Sunday,  December  28th,  another  inspection  of  Plugs  was 
made.  All  the  Plugs  on  St.  Peter  and  St.  Ann  Streets,  from  the 
River  to  Esplanade  Street,  were  tried.  Those  on  St.  Peter  Street 
give  a fair  supply,  but  not  one  on  St.  Ann  gives  a supply  suffi- 
cient to  feed  one  engine  to  anything  like  her  capacity.  The  St. 
Ann  Street  main  is  only  three  inches  (3")  in  diameter.  Three 
Plugs  on  Dauphine  Street  were  tried;  one  at  the  corner  of  Cus- 
tomhouse, another  opposite  No.  7’s  Engine  House,  and  the  third 
at  the  corner  of  Bienville  Street.  They  are  attached  to  the  six 
inch  (6")  main  leading  down  Dauphine  Street,  but  when  all  three 
Plugs  ran  at  one  time,  the  supply  was  quite  weak.  The  stem  of 
a wooden  case  Plug  on  St.  Louis,  between  Royal  and  Bourbon 
Streets,  was  found  to  be  too  large  to  fit  the  spanner  which  was 
given  us  by  the  Water  Company.  These  stems  are  supposed  to 
be  of  uniform  size.  A Plug  on  St.  Louis,  between  Bourbon  and 
Dauphine  Streets,  was  found  to  give  a very  weak  suppl}7-.  It 
leads  from  a three  inch  (3")  main.  The  stem  of  a ground  Plug, 
corner  of  Exchange  Alley  and  Canal  Streets,  was  found  to  be 
jammed  so  tight  that  we  could  not  open  it  with  the  Key.  At  the 
suggestion  of  Engineer  Giles  of  Company  No.  2,  we  tried  a Young 
America  Well,  on  Tchoupitoulas  Street,  between  Girod  and 
Notre  Dame  Streets.  Mr.  Giles  accompanied  us.  This  Well  is 
located  on  the  sidewalk,  but  the  valve  cover  is  in  the  Street.  The 
fatter  was  so  covered  with  earth  that  some  time  was  lost  in  hunt- 
ing for  it,  and  when  it  was  lifted,  the  box  was  found  to  be  filled 
with  caked  earth,  to  remove  which  a small  shovel  was  used. 
Pull  15  minutes  were  lost  in  finding  the  stem  of  the  valve,  which 
is  on  one  side  of  the  box,  and  the  ‘*T”  piece  was  found  buried  in 
a corner  of  the  box  several  inches  below  it.  This  piece  ought  to 
stand  upright  upon  the  Stem,  but  in  this  case  it  would  have  been 
impossible  to  close  the  lid  of  the  box  if  it  had,  as  the  passing  of 
heavy  vehicles  over  the  top  of  the  box  had  driven  it  down  several 
inches.  A good  supply  of  water  was  obtained  from  this  Well 
when  it  was  finally  opened,  but  it^was  exceedingly  muddy  at  first. 


11 


As  long  as  these  valve  boxes  remain  in  the  Streets,  it  is  easy  to 
see  that  every  heavy  rain  will  wash  the  dirt  of  the  Street  down 
into  them,  and  in  course  of  time,  the}'  will  be  filled  with  mud. 
In  this  case,  however,  it  must  be  remembered  that  there  had  been 
no  rain  since  November  16th,  and  if  the  spaiinerman  on  this  beat 
had  opened  this  Well  since  that  date,  as  he  claims  to  have  done, 
he  would  have  been  obliged  to  remove  the  accumulation  in  the 
box,  which  evidently  had  not  been  done. 

As  Chief  O’Connor  had  several  times  expressed  to  the  Commit- 
tee a desire  to  make  a trial  of  the  Plugs  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
Murray  & Berger  fire,  the  opportunity  was  accorded  him.  Sun- 
day night,  January  5th,  was  fixed  for  the  trial,  and  by  invitation 
of  the  Chief,  Mayor  Shakspeare  and  Major  Schaumberg  and 
Councilmen  Dunbar  and  Hanneman  were  present.  It  was  agreed 
that  six  engines  should  be  called  out,  and  each  should  be  placed 
at  the  Plug  used  by  it  on  the  night  of  the  fire.  Only  one  change 
was  made.  'Louisiana  Hose  was  substituted  for  Engine  No.  14, 
at  it  was  not  thought  proper  to  bring  the  latter  so  far  from  the 
section  of  the  City  in  which  it  is  located.  The  engines  were 
summoned  by  a preconcerted  signal  of  one  tap  of  the  bell,  which 
was  struck  at  27  minutes  of  11.  Nos.  2 and  13  reached  Tchoupi- 
toulas  Street  within  2 minutes  afterwards,  and  all  the  engines  ar* 
rived,  had  steam  up  and  were  throwing  water  before  11  o’clock,  ex- 
cept No.  6,  which  lost  5 minutes  connecting  her  suction  with  the 
Plug,  the  men  not  finding  their  spanner  quickly.  The  engines 
were  distributed  as  follows  : No.  5,  Poydras  Street  near  Foucher; 
No.  2,  Poydras  near  Commerce ; No.  6,  Tchoupitoulas  Street,  in 
front  of  E.  J.  Hart  & Co.’s  store ; No.  13,  in  front  of  Levis  Bros. ; 
Louisiana  Hose,  on  Tchoupitoulas  Street  in  front  of  John  T. 
Moore  & Co.’s  store;  and  No.  7,  at  the  corner  of  Gravier  and 
Tchoupitoulas  Streets.  The  main  on  Poydras  Street  is  four  inches 
(4")  in  diameter,  and  it  was  observed  that  the  moment  No.  2 com- 
menced pumping,  No.  5 ceased  to  get  water,  the  stream  merely 
dropping  from  the  nozzle.  The  streams  from  the  Engines  located 
n Tchoupitoulas  Street,  on  which  there  is  a six  inch  (6")  main, 
Tere  all  pretty  fair,  and  the  water  rather  free  from  sediment'.  It 
as  found,  however,  that  the  engines  of  the  Water  Works  were 
running  full  day  pressure  of  fifty  feet  (50')  head,  and  it  must  be 
remembered  that  upon  the  night  of  the  fire  only  the  gravity 


12 


pressure  of  about  27  or  28  feet  bead  was  on.  This  pressure  was 
not  put  on  by  the  Water  Company  expressly  for  that  night,  as 
we  afterwards  ascertained  from  President  Craig  that,  by  his 
orders,  the  engines  have  been  running  full  day  pressure  both 
night  and  day  since  January  1st.  The  same  night  an  experiment 
was  made  with  three  engines  on  St.  Charles  Street.  No.  7 wa3 
placed  at  the  Plug,  corner  of  Perdido  and  St.  Charles  Streets, 
and  No.  2 and  Louisiana  Hose  at  the  Well,  corner  of  Commercial 
Alley  and  St.  Charles  Street.  When  No.  7 alone  was  worked, 
an  ample  supply  of  water  was  obtained  for  that  engine  with  105 
pounds  of  steam  up  ; but  when  No.  2 and  Louisiana  Hose  com- 
menced work  at  the  Well,  each  with  90  pounds  of  steam  up,  No. 
7 was  unable  to  throw  w’ater  more  than  55  feet,  and  the  other 
two  engines  gained  rapidly  upon  the  supply  of  water  in  the  Well, 
the  level  of  which  sank  at  once  and  continued  sinking  until  the 
engines  were  stopped. 

This  Well  and  the  Plug  just  mentioned  are  fed  by  a six  inch 
(6")  main  on  St.  Charles  Street. 

At  a recent  fire  on  Claiborne  Street,  Engine  No.  14  was  taken 
to  the  Double  Holly  Plug  at  the  Claiborne  Market.  There  was 
no  cap  on  either  opening  of  this  Plug,  and  in  order  that  an 
engine  may  obtain  water  property,  it  is  necessary  to  close  one  of 
the  openings  unless  another  engine  is  at  work  upon  it.  In  this 
ease,  the  firemen  used  a billet  of  wood  and  a sack  to  plug  up  the 
unused  opening  so  that  the  engine  could  wrork  property  at  the 
other,  but  this  caused  several  minutes  delay.  If  the  spannerman 
of  the  Water  Company  who  has  this  district  in  charge  had  done 
his  duty,  the  absence  of  caps  on  this  Plug  would  have  been  re- 
ported, and  the  deficiency  would  probably  have  been  supplied. 

In  order  to  make  an  intelligent  comparison  of  the  water  supply 
of  this  Cit}7  with  that  obtained  in  others,  and  to  ascertain  the 
relative  cost  of  same,  the  Committee  prepared  a circular  contain- 
ing some  eighteen  questions,  and  copies  of  this  circular  were  sent 
to  about  twenty  cities,  replies  from  a number  of  which  have  been 
received,  and  the  information  thus  obtained,  tabulated  for  con- 
venient reference,  and  herewith  submitted. 


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14 


It  will  be  seen  at  a glance  that  we  are  far  behind  all  other 
cities  of  equal  population  ; that  the  supply  of  water  in  most  of 
them  is  clear,  the  extent  of  their  mains  greater,  their  size  larger, 
the  pressure  greater,  the  Plugs  more  numerous,  the  supply  more 
efficient,  and  finally,  the  cost,  when  measured  by  the  suppl}r. 
given,  much  less. 

To  sum  up  the  result  of  our  investigations  we  may  say: 

1st.  We  have  found  that,  previous  to  January  1st,  1890,  the 
Water  Company  did  not  give  the  City  on  Sundays  the  supply  of 
water  required  in  the  contract,  to-wit.T  fifty  feet  (50')  head. 
Only  the  gravity  pressure  was  applied.  Insurance  statistics  will 
show  that  some  of  our  most  serious  fires  have  occurred  on  Sun- 
days, and  in  all  other  cities  the  supply  of  water  on  Sundays  is 
always  as  gfeat  as  on  week  days,  and  frequently  greater. 

2d.  The  supply  furnished  at  night,  previous  to  January  1st, 
1890,  was  not  ‘‘of  such  abundance  as  amply  to  cover  the  needs 
of  the  Fire  Department  for  extinguishing  fires,”  clearly  demon- 
strated by  the  fact  that  none  of  the  three  or  four  inch  (3-4") 
mains  will  properly  supply  an  engine  when  simply  the  gravity 
pressure  is  used,  nor  is  an  adequte  supply  obtainable  from  them 
even  with  the  full  day  pressure  on. 

3d.  The  accumulation  of  sediment  in  the  mains  is  such  as  to 
impair  the  capacity  of  the  smaller  ones  from  twenty-five  to  forty 
per  cent.  (25%-40%). 

4th.  The  spannermen  of  the  Water  Works  Company  do  not 
faithfully  perform  their  duties.  Plugs  and  Wells  found  out  of 
order  either  had  not  been  inspected  by  them,  or  if  inspected  had 
not  been  so  reported  to  the  Company. 

5th.  The  number  of  “dead  ends”  to  the  mains  is  a serious 
defect  in  the  system. 

6th.  The  “T”  sockets  of  all  valve  stems  to  Fire  Wells  should 
be  held  in  place  hy  a screw,  and  unless  the  valve  boxes  are  to  be 
removed  to  the  sidewalks  (which  would  sost  a considerable  sum  of 
money,  and  which  the  City  possibly  has  not  the  right  to  demand 
they  should  be  frequently  inspected,  and  the  dirt  and  mud 
moved  from  them,  so  as  to  leave  the  stems  clear. 

7th.  Ground  Plugs  are  a source  of  frequent  delays  at  fi 
owing  to  the  difficulty  in  finding  them.  They  are  flush  win 
the  sidewalk,  or  street,  and  frequently  covered  by  earth,  so  as  to 
be  hidden  from  sight. 


15 


8th.  A number  of  streets  on  which  very  valuable  mercantile 
property  is  located  are  supplied  with  water  from  three  or  four 
inch  (3r'-4")  mains  which  we  have  shown  to  yield  a most  inade- 
qute  supply.  Among  these  streets  may  be  mentioned  Poydras, 
Gravier,  Julia,  St.  Joseph,  Delord,  Bienville,  St.  Louis  and  St. 
Ann. 

9th.  A large  portion  of  the  frame  section  of  the  City  has  no 
Supply  of  water  whatever.  That  part  of  the  City  embraced 
between  Jackson  and  Magazine  Streets  and  the  River  has  none. 
Nor  is  there  any  back  of  St.  Charles  above  Second  Street.  Back 
of  Rampart  Street,  between  Calliope  and  Felicity  Streets,  there 
are  only  four  (4)  Plugs. 

The  fact  that  the  Water  Company  is  now  using  its  engines 
night  and  day  to  exert  a direct  pressure  of  fifty  feet  (50')  head,  is 
the  immediate  result  of  our  investigation.  As  soon  as  President 
Craig  discovered  that  there  was  any  doubt  about  the  adequacy 
of  the  supply,  or  question  about  his  Company  not  complying  in 
full  with  their  contract,  he  at  once  set  about  improving  the  con- 
dition of  things,  and  it  is  due  to  his  personal  attention  that  this 
reform  has  been  instituted.  We  are  informed  by  Mr.  Craig  that 
his  Company  was  about  to  enter  into  a contract  with  the  National 
Water  Purifying  Co.,  for  the  erection  of  a filter  plant  here ; but 
that  owing  to  the  litigation  pending  between  the  City  and  the 
Water  Company,  this  contract  could  not  be  signed.  The  Water 
Company  claims  that,  if  the  litigation  is  discontinued  by  the 
City,  and  they  receive  the  pay  due  them,  a filter  plant  will 
shortly  be  erected. 

A stipulation,  in  the  charter  of  N.  0.  Water  Works  Company 
makes  the  Mayor,  the  City  Treasurer  and  the  Commissioner  of 
Public  Works  ex-officio  members  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  We  are 
informed  by  the  officials  of  the  Water  Company,  that  notices,  of 
all  meetings  are  regularly  sent  to  these  gentlemen,  but  that  it  is 

very  rare  thing  for  any  6f  them  to  attend.  This  is  certainly  to 
os  regretted.  The  City  has  such  a deep  interest  in  the  affairs  of 
the  Waiter  Company,  that  her  proper  officers  should  at  least  be 
present  to  represent  her. 

In  b-  inging  this  Report  to  a close,  we  deem  it  proper  to  say 
that  Vne  recent  action  of  the  Water  Company  in  maintaining  the 
direct  pressure  of  fifty  feet  (50')  head  night  and  day  is  a long 
stiep  in  the  right  direction,  and  will  give  the  Fire  Department  an 


i 


16 


ample  supply  of  water  at  night  in  some  of  the  mains  which 
proved  inadequate  when  only  the  gravity  pressure  was  applied. 
Until  further  improvement  as  to  extension  of  mains,  and  an  in- 
crease in  the  number  of  Plugs  can  be  obtained,  the  firemen  must 
learn  to  accommodate  themselves  to  the  means  at  hand.  A fire 
cannot  be  successfully  fought  unless  the  engines  are  intelligently 
placed.  Two  engines  ought  never  to  be  placed  on  a four  inch  (4") 
main,  nor  more  than  four  on  a six  inch  (6").  The  Fire  Wells 
should  be  utilized  whenever  it  is  possible  to  do  so.  Of  course 
there  are  certain  localities  where  it  is  not  possible  to  make  such 
a distribution  of  engines  as  we  suggest,  but  in  many  instances  it 
is  practicable.  Therefore,  the  Chief  Engineer  and  his  Assistants 
ought  to  obtain  accurate  data  from  the  Water  Company  as  to 
the  sizes  of  the  main’s  running  through  various  Streets.  This 
might  be  collected  in  convenient  shape  in  small  pocket  index 
books.  With  this  information  at  hand  the  engines  could  be 
placed  with  a view  to  obtaining  the  best  supply  possible  under 
the  circumstances,  and  we  might  certainly  expect  better  results 
at  fires  in  future,  not  only  from  the  improved  efficiency  of  the 
water  supply,  but  the  better  manner  of  handling  same. 

The  thanks  of  the  Committee  are  due  the  Officers  of  the  Water 
Works  Compan}%  arid  the  Officers  and  Members  of  the  Fire  De- 
partment, for  courtesies  extended. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

WM.  M.  RAILEY,  Chairman . 
ALBERT  P.  NOLL, 

W.  E.  DODSWORTH, 

Committee. 


